Britain’s biggest romance fraudster threw one last jab at his victims while being sentenced for successfully conning the women out of hundreds and thousands of dollars.

As Nigel Baker was sentenced to 17 years’ imprisonment this month, he addressed his victims from the dock of the Snaresbrook Crown Court and wished them a “Happy Christmas”.

Baker was tried for defrauding a total of nearly £1 million ($2.32m) from five different women, several of whom were present at his sentencing and baulked at the remark, the Sun reported.

Between 2012 and 2020, the 56-year-old met the women on dating apps, asking them to take out loans to invest in his betting business but instead squandering the money on his own gambling habit.

The women believed they were in romantic relationships with Baker and he would threaten to break up with them if they refused to give him more of their savings.

According to the Manchester Evening News, Judge Charles Falk called Baker a “charlatan”, slamming his “sustained and calculated” conduct as he gave his decision.

He said the fraudster had portrayed himself “as a slightly vulnerable and hurting divorced ex-husband, a loving family man with children”.

“You were deliberately targeting vulnerable women whose own situations mirrored the facade that you were portraying.

“You told the women everything they wanted or needed to hear, each woman perceiving you, gratefully, as their second chance at life-long happiness, when you were merely seeking to exploit them.”

One victim, a police officer, told the court the experience had left her feeling “ashamed, disgusted and used”.

“The realisation has left me violated in a way that is difficult to put into words. The knowledge that he touched me makes my skin crawl.

“What I thought was love and connection was manipulation and deceit for financial gain.”

Another victim said Baker was a “predator” who did not “deserve anything more than to be punished”.